


Legs

by KnightoftheCrow



Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M, Mermaid Ayasegawa Yumichika, Trans Character, Trans Madarame Ikkaku, Trans Male Character, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:53:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 7,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26873242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightoftheCrow/pseuds/KnightoftheCrow
Summary: There were many beautiful things that sank to the bottom from the surface. He had a small collection of some of his favourites alongside many beautiful things from beneath the water's edge, but he still couldn't help but wonder what beauty might be held further out in that surface world.
Relationships: Ayasegawa Yumichika & Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika/Madarame Ikkaku
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Cover




	2. Chapter 2

Emerald talons combed through long, dark hair, twisting everything into a tight braid over his shoulder before tying the end with some rope found in a nearby ship. When he was done, he brushed his powerful tail along a special rock, dislodging as many dull, loose scales and dirty mucus as he could. Once satisfied, he spent maybe an hour or more sliding his talons between each individual scale, picking anything unsightly out, before brushing it over again with a soft bundle of Rhodophyta. Smoothing a new protective coat of mucus over himself, he gathered one of those surface nettings around a few of his belongings to take with him. He was almost ready, just needed one _final_ touch. Wrapping an ornamental string around his forearm many times, He smiled as his eyes appraised his creation of blue crystals, shiny pearls, spiny and many coloured shells. Perfect.

Once ready, he left his home and swam as swiftly as his long tail allowed, arriving by the shore in a matter of forty minutes. Beaching himself along some tide pools hidden away by jagged rocks, he took his netted satchel apart to ready himself. He was about to unfold some surface clothes he packed when the small tingling in his tail quickly turned into an excruciating pain engulfing his entire body. It was as if a horde of eels was attacking him all at once, his body writhing uncontrollably as he bit his lip in a desperate attempt to muffle his screams. And then... it was over. It had felt like days, but it must have only been a few minutes as his throat was only a little sore.

Shaking, dizzy, and panting, he lifted himself to a sitting position, his blurry vision clearing to reveal... _legs_. Violet eyes widened as they took in pale, creamy limbs, his skin no longer covered in iridescence. His gaze traveled from emerald toes up shapely legs and then stopped. What was... _that?_ Poking at these strange protrusions from between his legs, he swiftly pulled his hand back as if he's been shocked. From the placement and shape of one of these protrusions, he guessed it was the same as his mating appendages. That and the dark curls surrounding it was odd to see, but his attention was quickly stolen by the curvature of muscles over his own hips and a hole-- _dent?_ \--in his lower abdomen. Trailing his fingers over his hips and abdomen, he then turned his focus towards his fingers. His talons were no longer there, having been replaced by short, blunt keratins that were the same emerald as the ones on his toes, the second ones from the outside the same sapphire as the ones on his largest toes. That hardly seemed convenient. Just what was he supposed to do without his talons?

His sigh of disappointment was interrupted by a _marvelous_ idea. Using an algae covered rock as support, he slowly brought himself to his knees, breathing deeply. When his legs seemed stable enough, he slowly stood up, the painful trembling in his legs making him feel weak. He looked down. They seemed so... _long._ They weren't nearly as thick or long as his tail, but he felt a small bubble of anxiety begin in his chest thinking about the distance between the sand between his toes and the rest of his body. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep, calming breaths to steady himself. Wondering what his backside looked like, he turned his head as far over his shoulder as he could. He was used to not seeing behind his torso, but he was _not_ used to what he found between it and his legs. The toned hemispheres he found were the same creamy colour as the rest of him, like dull alabaster shells. He carefully took one hand off the rock in front of him to slowly sink it into the flesh above his legs, those hemispheres having some give before the sensation made him tense and turned them hard as rock. Strange...

Deciding to test his luck, he slowly turned around, his knees nearly buckling under his weight with the movement. After a moment of deliberate breathing, he took a shaky step forward before promptly falling flat on his ass. Frustrated, he tried again. And again. And _again..._ After about the twentieth or so try, he finally was able to make himself walk somewhat steadily back to his netted bundle, every step like broken glass being driven into his entire lower body. It wasn't nearly as painful as shedding his beautiful tail had been, so he just took it in stride.

Cautiously kneeling down, he meticulously continued undoing his bundle, setting aside the things he planned to wrap around his body. He'd seen humans wear multishaped cloths before, so he figured it was customary for surface dwellers to always cover oneself completely. Picking up the large grey torso cloth he'd acquired, he carefully struck his arms through its sleeves, displeased with the way the soaking fabric dragged across his skin. He may have come from the depths of the ocean, but it was still annoying his belongings hand't dried yet. He poked all the flat pearls into their designated hols, finding it easier with his short keratins than when he practiced with his talons. Well, at least there was an upside to no longer having them. Gathering his things, he tied them into their netted bundle again before slowly, carefully, painfully walking out of his little tide pool alcove and onto the open beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have any art of him yet, but once I have some art of my mermaid Yumi design I'll share it, probably embed it into the story. HadenXCharm used to embed sketches and I love that, so I've been thinking of trying the same to see how I like it.
> 
> Rhodophyta is just red seaweed btw  
> And the bit about eels is a reference to electric eels


	3. Chapter 3

He'd done some poking around town for a bit, garnering many strange looks in the process. Maybe it was due to the fact he'd forgotten some sort of leg cloth the humans around him typically wore, his choice of top barely coming down to mid thigh. It didn't matter, though; he knew he was absolutely stunning in his typical marine form and he assumed his beauty carried over to this new almost human one. It would be _ridiculous_ if he looked completely different.

He stopped in front of a wide shop window, the various foot coverings being worn by the faceless false corpses there drawing his attention. Entering the store, he was pleasantly surprised to see _so many_ beautiful things surrounding him. He walked around, almost in a daze, marveling at each wonder. A small section of the store caught his eyes, many glittering metals hanging from a shelf like structure drawing him in. Picking up a golden chain wrapped around a small foot-shaped plank, he smiled as he turned it every which way, the many golden shapes tinkling together and sparkling in the light. He found there were many of the foot shapes hanging on this structure, each one wrapped in a different chain or cord with many designs of charm. Gathering several into his hands, he moved to the neighboring section, many coloured squares wrapped in pictures of legs wearing various cloths, some with fish net like designs, some just leather cords wrapped around thighs. So many pictures showcasing what he assumed were the leg cloths folded in them, so many materials, colours, and pictures on the cloths, it was almost too much. Almost. He plucked various bundles of these seemingly decorative leg coverings off their hangers before turning his attention to the next section. This one had various stiff foot coverings like the ones the false corpses in the window wore, though there didn't seem to be as many designs for these as there were for the foot jewelry and leg coverings. That being so, he still couldn't help but inspect every foot shaped leather item, some smooth, some fuzzy, some tied with string, some with square blocks or long spikes on the heel. The shapes lifting the heels didn't seem comfortable to him, but they were beautiful all the same and he picked a couple pairs of simple, flat foot coverings. One pair looked like it would barely cover his foot, but that seemed perfect if her were to adorn his legs with the chains he'd collected earlier.

Unsure of what to do now, he looked around the store. In the middles, he saw humans occasionally lining up and trading small squares, thin rectangular cloths, and, mostly, coins for their items with the one behind the counter. Nodding to himself, he waltzed up to the counter as graciously as his numb legs would allow and dumped his haul onto the counter in front of the obviously exhausted human behind it. "I'd like these," he told them.

They held a contraption that emitted a red light and made a high beep every time it was pointed at an item. Arranging his order into a plain black bag, they said, "That'll be twenty thousand eight hundred seventy-one yen."

He smiled his most dazzling smile, reaching into his netted sack. Bringing out a golden square plate, a decorative silver comb, beads of sea glass, a brass mouth pipe, a few pearls, and some semi rare shells, he poured his payment onto the counter. "Here you are!"

The cashier looked at his offering in bewilderment. "Uhm..." They pursed their lips. "It's twenty thousand eight hundred seventy-one yen."

He pushed his offering towards them on the counter. "Take this."

Sighing, they told him, "I can't take that."

His brows furrowed. "Of course you can. It's a fair trade. _Take it."_

"I _can't._ Your total is twenty thousand eight hundred seventy-one yen, please. That's just a bunch of _junk._ I'm sorry, but I can't give you your items until you give me _actual money."_ The cashier seemed to be at their wit's end.

He could feel his eyebrow begin to twitch in exasperation, scoffing his offense. Looking over his treasure he picked from the shelves, violet eyes boring holes into that black bag, he scrunched his nose. He took a deep breath and huffed it out, gathering his personal items and storming out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering, here's Yumi's shopping cart:  
> 5 anklets, 3 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of shoes, 3 thigh garters, and 3 pairs of tights  
> It would have been more if he felt comfortable holding more items in his arms lol


	4. Cover




	5. Chapter 5

Calloused hands parted and sifted through various jeans, a lack of proper sizing bringing him to scowl. None of these pants were wide enough and half of them looked like they were ready to fall apart despite being brand new. What was up with that anyway? Half the jeans in this store had so many tears they looked like they'd been through a blender! He'd prefer to tear his jeans himself, thanks. Sighing, he decided to try the next rack. All those pairs looked considerably wider, so maybe he'd find what he needed. The whole place smelled strongly of salt water, but he figured it was probably incense or something. This type of store always had something for atmosphere.

_"Take it."_

_"I can't. Your total is--"_

He looked up from his search of pants that at least looked like they would fit at the sudden commotion by the register, his brow shooting up at the sight of a young man wearing nothing but a long, grey button down with its sleeves rolled to the elbow arguing with the cashier. He looked like he'd been thrown into a swimming pool no more than an hour ago, the thin fabric of the dress shirt he wore clinging to his skin with moisture. He vaguely listened to the stranger arguing with the cashier as brown eyes roamed over long legs, a tight ass, athletic shoulders, and a long, silky braid of darkness. This nearly soaking stranger, who was in obvious distress, was keeping him glued in place. He didn't think he'd ever seen a prettier man alive.

His trance was broken when the stranger stormed out of the store, clearly upset. He wasn't sure what came over him, but his feet seemed to move of their own accord, taking him to the register. After checking out, he ran as quickly as he could out of the store, a small paper bag in hand.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey! You! Wait!" Huffing in exasperation, he stopped his breakneck pace to cup his hands around his mouth and call out even louder, _"Oi!"_ When he saw that dark, silky head of stars turn towards him, he couldn't help the grin that started to slink across his face as he caught up to the other man.

Sunlight bouncing off the rivulets of water seeping out of dark, braided hair making his alabaster skin sparkle like some rare jewel, the stranger quirked a perfectly manicured eyebrow as he faced him.

"I--" He wasn't sure exactly what to say, but his racing heart and slightly unsteady breathing didn't help matters. Taking a deep breath to calm his lungs, he held up the small paper bag in his hand, nearly thrusting it towards the pretty stranger before him.

Long, slender fingers gingerly took the package from his grasp, violet eyes flicking between him and the bag. He seemed unsure of what to do with it, necessitating some prodding;

"Go on, open it; it's for you."

So he did. The way those rounded eyes widened in surprised, nearly _sparkling_ in joy, the silent gasp that came with the parting of what looked like unbelievably soft lips made his heart flutter. The stranger reached in, pulling out a small square bundle, which he nearly tore open in barely hidden excitement to reveal a pair of long baby blue and black striped socks. He met the brown gaze of the man who'd given him this gift, something unidentifiable deep within his eyes.

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face upon seeing the sheer joy of the pretty stranger. "You don't have to worry about paying me back, by the way, I just," he shrugged, "saw you didn't have any money, so."

Instead of responding, the dark haired man just bent down to start pulling the socks over his sleek forelegs. The further he bent, the higher his shirt slid over his thighs, the more it was clear it was indeed the _only_ thing he was wearing.

"You know, you don't have to put those on right now," he said probably a little too quickly, his secondhand embarrassment giving a slight warmth to his face as he did everything to ignore the urge to let his eyes roam freely over the other's hips. He made it a point to keep eye contact when those thickly lashed eyes met his.

The stranger quickly straightened up, socks still in hand. "Is there a problem with wearing them right now?" the furrow of his angular brows suggesting annoyance of some sort.

Shaking his bare head with a sigh, he simply said, "You're not wearing any shoes; if you wear them now and walk around, they'll just get all dirty."

The other man looked as if he hadn't thought of that, a cute pink staining his cheeks. His eyes flicked down to the socks in hand before moving to the side.

Shifting his weight to the other foot, he took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Hey, uh, you got a place to stay 'round here?"

The stranger met his gaze again before sighing, putting the striped socks back into the bag. "Unfortunately, no. I live kinda far."

He nodded, knowing he'd probably kick himself later for what he was about to do. "You know, you can stay with me for a bit. If you'd like."

The other man nodded silently, some sort of soft look on his face.

He tilted his head as if to say "come on, then," walking away, that pretty stranger quickly making his way to walk beside them. "I'm Ikkaku, by the way. You?"

He didn't have to look to know the other was staring at him. "Yumichika."

He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It's nice to meet you, Yumichika."

The dark haired man just smiled, silently following.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, FYI, Ikkaku is pretty fit so he's not terribly winded, just slightly cuz he went into a dead run lol that man  
> [I made an IkkaYumi server months ago, you can scream about this fic with me there if you want or not](https://discord.gg/PUt8RsG)  
> Screaming in the comments here will also give me lots of endorphins lol


	7. Chapter 7

The large metal vessel slowed to a stop, coming between a large empty square painted on the ground and another shinier land vessel.

"Alright, we're here."

He looked at the human to his right who pulled up on the dark stick by his wheel before pressing his hip to release the straps around his torso. Deciding it would be best to emulate the one beside him, he pressed his own hip but to no avail. He frowned. How did Ikkaku do it? He looked around his seat, pressing a few different places by his hips before giving up and just yanking on the straps the other insisted he wear. No such luck. He leaned back with a huff and crossed his arms.

"It's right here;" the other man leaned towards him and pressed a bright red button between the grey chest contraption in the middle and his hip. How did he miss that?

"Thank you."

Shrugging, he said, "It's no problem." Violet eyes watched as his pulling on the door somehow pushed it open.

Dark brows furrowing, he attempted to do the same but his door wouldn't budge. Why were so many things on the surface so frustrating?

Hand running over his scalp, Ikkaku sighed and told him, "Hold on," before getting out. Rounded eyes watched as he came around to the other side to open the door.

He swung his legs over, placing his feet on the ground uncertainly before pulling them back up onto the seat and wrapping an arm around his knees. Mouth twisting in a scowl, he felt his nose scrunch up in disgust. His feet were already so dirty he felt he'd die if he didn't clean them and the ground here looked much rougher and grimier than the ground outside that shop.

Ikkaku raised a thin eyebrow at him. "Need help getting out?"

Looking into those dark brown eyes set deep into a well defined face, he nodded. He took the hand offered to him and gingerly placed on foot on the ground, slowly sliding off his seat. He tried to ignore the numbing pain shooting up his legs as he was helped to stand, but he must not have done a very good job as he was asked,

"You okay, Yumichika?"

Should he lie? Being in constant pain wasn't exactly conducive to being beautiful. He shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts, meaning to focus on the simple act of standing. "I'm fine."

The other man nodded, walking with him away from the vessel, and if leaning against him so heavily for support was a problem, he didn't say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I keep switching POV but whatever, that's the beauty of 3rd person lol  
> Let me know what you think so far!


	8. Chapter 8

He watched him fumble with his little ring of charms, from which he stuck one in the door and swung it open. The soles of his feet felt like they were covered in tiny needles and he couldn't feel his knees anymore. Everything in him was screaming for a chance at rest, to sit down, and he feared he might just collapse hideously in front of the other man. He couldn't have that. Stepping inside after him, his eyes roamed around the space he was faced with.

"Home sweet home," Ikkaku said quietly, tossing his handful of door opening charms onto a counter.

It had been a while since he'd been inside someone else's private dwelling, so he wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it... wasn't _this._ He almost couldn't stop staring at the empty walls that seemed to be doing their damnedest to emulate the colour of a dead fish's underbelly.

"Yumichika? Everything alright?"

His brain almost didn't register he was being talked to, still so caught up in the bare bones space he was standing it. "It's so... _plain."_

Ikkaku huffed a laugh, walking behind the counter; "I'm a simple man."

Nodding, he watched as the other grabbed a couple glasses and filled them water from a pipe of sorts, taking the one that was handed to him. "Thank you."

"You look like you need it."

He looked into his cup. It was so clear and didn't smell anything like what water was supposed to, but he figured he'd take his chances and quickly chugged it. Sighing at the relief he felt with the cold liquid sliding down his throat, he held his glass out. "You think I could... have some more?"

Those thin brows furrowed in what looked like concern as a hand took his glass. "Yes, of course. Guess you really _did_ need it then, huh."

He eagerly accepted his second glass of water, this time drinking it more slowly to fully savour its taste and feeling, as he watched his host moved towards a door in the wall, opening it and pulling out a few very large cloths. Violet eyes followed the movement of thick arms and a broad torso as he moved towards a dark fixture by the wall, unfolding it and throwing the cloths over it.

"You can sleep here for the night. I know it's just a cheap futon with a shitty frame, but it's a great couch, so it'll be okay as a bed. I'll go grab some pillows." And with that, he disappeared into another room.

Gingerly, he took a step towards his makeshift bed, legs shaking as he sat on its edge. It was definitely smoother than his bed at home but not quite as soft. His body was so tired out from all the walking and climbing--god, the _climbing,_ what was it with humans and insisting on having dwellings so high up? It's not like they could just swim through the air like birds--that he felt he might just pass out sitting up. He looked up when he heard the door to the other room click to see Ikkaku coming over to him with two cloth bundles.

"I typically only sleep with one pillow, so I have a couple extras. You can use them both." Standing over the marine creature, he held out his cloth bundles.

Taking the pillows from him, Yumichika looked up into the other's eyes, squeezing the cushions in his hands to his chest. They were soft. "Am I sleeping here?"

Ikkaku rolled his eyes; "Where else are you gonna sleep?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I just thought..."

"I don't have an extra bed. And I'm _not_ giving my bed up."

This didn't make any sense. He gave him those leg coverings, told him he could stay in his private dwelling, but didn't have a proper bed nor the mind to share his own? Were all humans like this? Was this a surface thing?

"You've got some pillows and blankets, should be good enough. If you get cold, there's more blankets in the linen closet;" he gestured towards the small door in the wall he got the bed covers from.

Yumichika nodded, trying to understand. At least he didn't have to worry about kicking his host in his sleep. His legs were still so new and he wasn't sure how they worked. What if they thrashed about while he was unconscious? That would be embarrassing.

"Hey," Ikkaku asked, walking behind the counter on the other side of the room again, "you hungry?"

"Oh, _yes,"_ he answered a little too eagerly. He was starving.

His host quirked an eyebrow at his tone, but didn't say anything as he got a pan out from under the counter. He opened some box behind the counter and pulled out a small container, turning his back on his guest.

Yumichika found his curiosity overcoming him as he got up to walk over to the other man, standing close beside him as he turned dials that made the counter beside the wall glow and warm up. He watched him pull a slab of meat with a smell he recognized instantly-- _salmon,_ his mouth was watering--and right as he was about to reach for it and take it, his hand was gently pushed away and it was thrown in the pan. His brows knit together and he looked at the man beside him. He was a little taller than him...

"Not yet, Yumichika." Ikkaku shook his head. "It's not so fresh that I can feed it to you raw with good conscious; we gotta cook it first."

He looked to the fish in the pan, staring at it with obvious hunger. He was going to _feed_ him? It was a bit soon for him, but he was so hungry in that moment, he didn't care _how_ he ate as long as he did. The smell stated to change and the pink meat started to change in colour, so he reached for it again, his impatience overcoming his senses in such a hungry state, only to be pushed away more roughly this time.

"Stop reaching for it, dammit! You wanna get burned?" His host seemed angry. This wasn't good.

He sighed, bowing his head in shame. He was just so.. _"Hungry."_

Ikkaku sighed. "That's okay. You'll be fed soon enough."

Did he say that out loud? He could feel his cheeks begin to warm, taking a small step away from his host. Maybe he shouldn't have staring at the fish in the pan so intently, but he couldn't help it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're now all caught up with my writing! I'm just too excited for this fic lol. Kinda needed a break from KomaSen tbh and I wanted to write some IkkaYumi so here we are. Ummm.... this was supposed to be a short story tbh but then I found my prompt so.... ^w^;;;
> 
> And before you guys say anything, _yes_ fish is meat. And so is your mom (lol)


	9. Chapter 9

The little folding table may have been a little rickety, but it worked just fine, so he had no qualms setting his guest up at the table for dinner. There was only the one chair, so after he placed a plate of salmon in front of hungry, violet eyes he just leaned against the breakfast bar to eat his dinner. He watched the other man use his fingertips to pick up his filet, only to yelp in surprise, dropping back onto the plate. Chuckling softly, he said, "It _is_ hot, you know."

Some of his dark hair had come loose from his still damp braid to fall over his face as he stared intently at his food, fingertips in his mouth. His brow was furrowed so deeply as his eyes bore holes into the fish that Ikkaku idly thought it would leave a mark. The young man closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"You can use the chopsticks I gave you. Makes it easier," he told his guest around a mouthful of salmon.

Yumichika grimaced at him talking with his mouth full, but picked up the plastic sticks beside his plate anyway. He held them in one hand then the other before holding one in each hand like knitting needles and attempting to pick his food up that way.

His host watched him struggle for a bit before shaking his head, laughing, and coming up behind him. He took the utensils out of the sea creature's soft hands and placed them both in one hand, a gentle grip on the other's fingers and wrist to guide his hold. "Like this," he said, swallowing the salmon in his cheeks. He manipulated his guest's hand some more to open and close the chopsticks a few times before letting go and standing up straight, hand on the back of his chair. "You try."

A small tinge of pink bled its way across alabaster cheeks, his body seemingly frozen still as he held onto his utensils. It was cute but the following movements of Yumichika struggling to pick up the fish filet on his plate was almost _unbearably_ cute, in a really funny way. After having gone through the salmon slipping out of his grip for the fifth time, he scrunched up his little pixie nose and huffed, stabbing the fish instead to bring it up to his mouth.

Ikkaku had no hope of holding back any of the laughter that roared out of him at seeing this, nearly doubling over and earning a pointed glare from his guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think!<3  
> also i just thought the chopsticks thing was cute and like idk


	10. Chapter 10

Ikkaku led him into a room he said was for bathing to clean himself. He thought he'd _die_ if he had to go to bed while so filthy, but he found it odd this "bathroom" was inside the other man's private sleeping area. It didn't make sense that his home was built this way, but he'd said he lived alone earlier, so it probably wasn't a big deal before. He watched the other man set some fluffy cloths--"towels," he called them--on the counter and walk towards a curtained off part of the room.

"So," he started, pulling back the curtain, "here's the shower, obviously. Luckily, I have a western style bathroom, so you don't gotta worry about your stuff getting wet when you shower. Here," he started turning some handles, water starting to rain from the fixture on the wall, "this is how you turn it on and this," he taps the red handle, "is hot, this," he taps the blue handle, "is cold." He turned back to Yumichika. "You good?"

He stared for a moment at his host before briefly nodding.

"Good." The taller man walked out, shutting the door behind him.

The sea man sighed, unbuttoning the shot he wore, grimacing when it peeled away from his skin crusty with salt. He was grateful Ikkaku left the water running, because he wasn't sure if he would be able to turn it back on himself. He undid his braid then looked at the shower. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards it, unsure of how to continue. Would he lose his legs? He didn't want that to happen, he just _got here._ Not to mention the stories about humans who... Yumichika sighed then decided he'd rather risk having a tail completely unfit for land than ever be this dirty again in his life. Lifting his leg, he put just his foot under the water, but the moment he felt the wetness on his toes, everything lurched and all he could feel was _falling._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk writing a scene where someone shows you how the shower works is weird but it happens all the time irl so *shrug*
> 
> also i was worried about calling Yumi a "sea man" before but I'm over it and I'm gonna do it cuz it's funny lol  
> *insert condom vs ship joke here*


	11. Chapter 11

He rifled through his drawers, pulling out a pair of drawstring pants, when he heard when he heard a resounding _crack_ and then a loud thud. His breath left him for a moment and the next thing he knew, he had the bathroom door flung wide open and there was that pretty stranger, naked, lying on his bathroom floor as if he died. Kneeling beside his guest, he placed his hands around his chest and hefted him up, lifting his head to look into his soft face. "Yumichika? You okay?"

Those soft, soft upturned eyes stared into his and a slender hand come to his forehead where a harsh red started turning into a soft, deep, violaceous hue. "I..." Bold brows came together in pain and he let out a hiss that wasn't quite human sounding.

"C'mon," Ikkaku said softly, slowly rising to his feet and helping his guest to stand. He was almost embarrassingly naked and his face was scrunched up so much in pain in away that made it impossible to turn away from the bruise blossoming across his face. He reached out a hand to gently grab a delicate chin, leaning in close to watch as he turned his head slowly this way and that, rough fingers gently prodding his skull in various places. "Oh, good, nothing's fractured, seems like;" he sighed in relief. "I'm gon' take you to a hospital."

"Hospital?" His speech wasn't exactly slurred, but... it didn't quite sound right.

"Yeah, you gotta get looked at. By a doctor."

"Doctor?"

_"Yes,_ you gotta get looked at to see if you're _okay._ I don't wancha to get _brain damage."_ He tucked a lock behind his ear, looking at the now incredibly dark bruise intently as he released his hold on that small face.

Yumichika tore his face away, hissing that weird sound again, gritting out, _"No._ I don't _want_ to be looked at by..." Hi didn't finish, he just scrunched up his face again, eyes nearly rolling back in pain.

_"Fuck that,"_ he grabbed the other's slender wrist, nearly dragging him out of the bathroom, "you're _going_ to the hospital; there's no use in fighting me." They stopped in front of Ikkaku's queen sized bed and he threw the pair of sweatpants he had dropped earlierat his guest. "These'll be kinda big on you, but just pull the string real tight and tie it; I can't exactly take you to the emergency room ass naked."

The other man looked down at himself then at the pants in his hand. Sitting on the bed, he gingerly pulled them over his legs, pulling on the string. He stood up, the sweats quickly dropping before stopping at his hips where the string threatened to come loose again.

Ikkaku sighed, going over to the other and adjusting his pants for him, tying the drawstring tight. If he hit his head hard enough to not be able to tie his own pants, then he _definitely_ needed a doctor. And a head scan. He tugged the string briefly, testing the resistance to see if the waist band nearly folded in half would threaten to come undone again. Satisfied, he lead him out the door, supporting his weight as they walked down the couple flights of stairs to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have concussed my boy and not out of catharsis and now I feel bad
> 
> also I had issues writing some parts of that and I apologize


	12. Chapter 12

Light shined in his eyes, so brightly he felt he was going blind. He tried pulling away, but he was firmly held in place as the bright beam moved side to side. When that beam died, he saw spots everywhere and people were talking, but it was hard to follow.

"He's responsive and his scans came back normal; he'll be fine."

"That's good."

"You should still monitor him, though. Just make sure he gets plenty of rest, lots of water, and foods with lots of Omega-3, like fish. However, no TV and make sure he's not sleeping or unconscious for more than four hours straight, though."

"Anything else?"

"Not a bad idea to massage his neck and shoulders and, of course, if he takes his medication, he can't drive."

The spots started to fade and he realized how weak he felt. He didn't like feeling this way. He just wanted to lie down.


	13. Chapter 13

He came out of the bathroom holding a towel around his neck, steam following him in a mist into the bedroom. He donned a pair of sweatpants, fastening the waist tie, leaving the bedroom to get a cup of water. For some reason, the sliding door to the balcony was wide open. Sighing, he made to close it but stopped when he noticed his guest sitting out there staring up at the sky, the moonlight making him appear as if he were glowing. "Oi, what are you doing out here?"

The other man turned to him, meeting his eyes for a moment after his gaze slowly traveled up his figure before giving a casual shrug, looking back at the sky again. Odd.

He decided he'd join him for a moment, plopping down beside his guest to look up at the sky with him. "Like stars?"

A slender hand brushed some hair behind a delicate ear. "The moon is beautiful."

"Hmm." He leaned back on his hands, stretching one of his legs out in front of him.

"Why did you lie about me?"

Thin brows came together as he turned to the other, finding him staring straight at him. "Whaddya mean?"

"You said I got my head _bashed in._ That's not what happened."

He shrugged. "Well, _technically_ you did get your head bashed in, just on the toilet."

The dark haired man gave him a deadpan glare.

"What?"

"You said I got in a fight, that some guy _jumped_ me. That 'doctor' person asked what happened and you made me look--look like--like some--!" He gave a quick shake of his head to illustrate his frustration, hair swirling about his face.

"Hey, I said you fucked that guy up, right? You look pretty strong, you could probably hold your own."

"You think so?" There was something in his voice that couldn't quite be placed, but it was good to hear.

He shrugged again.

Those violet eyes left him to travel back to the night sky, toned arms encircling his bent knees. "I have, you know."

"Hm?"

"Held my own. Torn others apart. That sort of thing."

"Huh." He hadn't expected that. A part of him wondered about that "tearing others apart" bit, but he figured it wasn't really any of his business anyway.

The other man shakily stood, brushing off the sweats he borrowed and unrolling the sleeves of a baggy T-shirt. "Well, I think I'll go to bed now. I've got the feeling we're supposed to be sleeping." Dark eyes followed as he went back inside, sliding onto the unfurled futon and pulling the blankets over himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the latest of what I have written, I've been kind of obsessively writing this. I'll go back to my KomaSen works in a bit, just let me have this TwT  
> I do have an [unborn IkkaYumi server](https://discord.gg/MeAUzku) on discord, but I also have a dead KomaSen one? lol  
> Y'all can scream in the comments all you want, I've been screaming about this for a while. It'll fuel my fire.


	14. Chapter 14

He stared at the ceiling, counting how many pictures could be seen in the speckling there. His mind wandered back to that hospital room and the mess they left it in. The scene played out in his mind almost like a movie, watching those lithe limbs thrash about with incredible strength. Sure, his guest had some obvious muscle, but that amount of sheer power coming from that lithe body was unexpected. He knocked out multiple nurses and cracked another's ribs before they gave him a tranquilizer. Sighing, he briefly wondered what could have happened in the past to draw out that kind of reaction before he rolled over and decided to try and sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's vague and I'm sorry but this is Ikkaku thinking about Yumi <3


	15. Chapter 15

Warmth poured over his face as the morning light streamed in through the window, gently waking him from his slumber. He slowly stretched out all his limbs, dry cloths surrounding him. For a moment, he was confused as to where he was, but then he remembered the previous day. Shooting up in bed, he threw off the covers and just stared. He had legs. _Legs._ Bending his knees towards himself, he reached a hand out and gingerly caressed his toes, fingers trailing along his coloured toenails. All his nails were similar in colour to his talons, but different. There were new smells lingering in the apartment coming from the cooking area. He looked over there, but there was no one there. Putting his feet to the floor, he got up and softly padded around the apartment; onto the balcony, behind the counter, into his host's private room and the bathroom. There was no one to be found. He was alone. He ran back to his makeshift bed and sat on it with his knees to his chest, arranging the pillows and blankets around him like a nest of sorts. Where was his host? What would happen if he tried to go down the stairs? How would he leave? He wanted to explore the area some more, get some use out of his legs, but he could see himself quite disgracefully falling to his doom if he tried going downstairs on his own. Did something happen? He sighed, hugging his knees tightly. He was trapped, wasn't he? This was more than incredibly frustrating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kill me plz


	16. Chapter 16

He turned the key in the lock, opening the door to a large waft of salty air pouring over him. His nose twitched at the overpowering smell of salt water; he thought his guest has already taken a shower. Was this all from him? Even his car smelled like salt water after taking him home. Walking in, he noticed the other man sitting in almost a cocoon of blankets and pillows on the futon looking rather upset. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it didn't look like his guest even left his bed at all that day, so he figured it couldn't be anything too bad. He threw his keys on the counter, lining his hoes up by the door. "I'm home."

"Where were you?" The other man's voice was soft, quiet.

He sighed. "I went to work, Yumichika."

"Work?"

"Yes, I have a job with a contracting company; been working all day." He walked over to his bedroom, opening the door.

"You were gone all day and you didn't even _say_ anything." His tone was overwhelmed with an underlying note of impudence.

He took a deep breath.thin brows coming together in frustration. "I didn't _think_ I had to _say_ anything. I don't know if you noticed, but _most people_ have _jobs."_

The other man looked as if he was trying to mask his anger or frustration of some sort, but his eyes didn't quite match. "Do you even have any idea what could have happened?! I can't even--I can't even walk downstairs by myself!" Fear, that's what it was, wasn't it? Not a lot, just some. His guest seemed to shrink in on himself in embarrassment, his face red with shame.

Ikkaku relaxed. Shit, he'd forgotten about the concussion and not to mention the funny way the shorter man walked, almost as if he was in constant pain. "Look, I'm sorry. Just assumed you'd know I was working."

Yumichika scrunched his nose up and nearly pouted, brows coming together as he settled further into his little bed-nest.

He walked over to the futon, gently nudging the one seated there with his fist. "You okay?"

The dark haired man just glowered, barely even looking at him. It was a little awkward to say the least.

"Look, uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck, weight shifting from one foot to the other. "I'm sorry, man. Didn't think you'd get so, uh... freaked out." He shrugged, awkwardly patting the other's shoulder.

Ikkaku threw his hands up in surrender; "Okay, you're not, cool."

The one on the futon pulled one of the blankets up around his legs, tucking it in tightly almost to the point of immobility. He huffed, patting the blanket down and scrunching his nose.

He sighed, debating whether to place a hand on the other's knee in an attempt to comfort him but deciding against it. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and let out breath out through his nose. "You good? You need anything?"

Violet eyes met dark brown ones. Nodding, he said almost too quietly, "I'm kind of hungry."

Taken aback, the response was, "You could've gotten yourself something at any time. Don't you know how to cook?"

"I don't know how to use the..." He waved towards the kitchen.

"The stove? Nah, that's alright, I get it. I'll make something after I shower; I'm pretty hungry, too. Just know that you're free to eat any of the food here, aight?"

Yumichika nodded, watching his host go into his bedroom to take his shirt off and throw it across the room before disappearing at the far end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote some PWP within this AU that's noncanon to the story in case you wanted any trans on mermaid porn to read.
> 
> Let me know what you think of this fic so far and if you read the PWP you can do the same over there lol

**Author's Note:**

> This is an edit/moodboard I made, it's not the best but I tried. I was drawing upon my design for mermaid Yumi for it.


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